Former county deputy pleads not guilty to sexual conduct charges

A former Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Deputy who allegedly had sexual contact with children pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him Friday in Otter Tail County District Court.
Aaron Joseph Heuer, 30, of Isle, is charged in two separate cases with felony criminal sexual conduct. He was first charged in July with four felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four felony counts of second-degree

Aaron Heuer

criminal sexual conduct.
He was then charged in September with felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct and felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
He remains in the Otter Tail County Jail.
According to the criminal complaint, Heuer sexually assaulted children when he was volunteering as a fishing guide at Lutheran Island Camp in Henning.
He allegedly inappropriately touched four male victims, ages 8-10.
Additional incidents allegedly occurred with two of the victims on a separate fishing trip, unrelated to the camp, in Aitkin County.
Heuer was placed on administrative leave from the Mille Lacs County Sheriff’s Office when he was charged in July.
Heuer also allegedly had sexual contact with another child in June 2009.
According to the criminal complaint, the child’s mother contacted authorities in July after they’d seen a photograph of Heuer on the television news, and her son said he had “touched him.” The woman reportedly told a detective her son spent lots of time with Heuer a few years ago, at camp and fishing trips. While watching the news, she reportedly asked her son what happened. He became upset and said, “What do you think, the same thing that happened to the other kids,” the report says.
Heuer allegedly sexually assaulted the child at Heuer’s residence and once at camp.
The next court appearance for Heuer in both cases is scheduled for March 20, with a jury trial scheduled for March 24.